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WBUD Sold
- Thread starter luperm
- Start date
Tom McNally said:
Local people are also listening to NJ101.5. And it's based near Trenton. And it's #1. But it's not a community station, aimed at the Trenton community, along the lines of what we're discussing in this thread. There's a big difference.
There is a distinct and obvious difference between NJN and WBGO in terms of community service. I'd like to see a station along the lines of WBGO in the southern half of the state. I think there's a market for it. Perhaps based in Trenton or Camden.
The early WBUD/WBJH-FM under the reign of the Hardin's was what I would call a "one of a kind" type place. Quite a few legendary stories. The station was originally across the other side of Ewingville Road and Mr. Hardin at the time came up with a plan to move one tower at a time while staying on the air.
As CE of another station across town a few years I visited friends there who would ask me about basic things like hum and buzz on the air. As a favor I gave the console a bang with my fist to solve the problem, lol. The main program audio cable at the time would run from the console to the ceiling and was literally twisted together mid span, no solder or insulation. Years later Dick hired me on the spot & I spent the next few days putting out these same little "fires" before I felt the station was solid enough for me to go home.
Things like:
All the telephones would disappear each night after 5pm, while the one News phone had a punch card dialing system for outgoing calls to news related sources only.
There was a story about a DJ who drove across the country for an interview, got hired and immediately put on the air. After a few hours he asked the News person to run the console while he went out to the store for cigarettes, and never came back, lol.
Back in the days there was one person running separate programming for two stations AM & FM. The cart machines where the Spotmaster type where you had to pull back the lever for the capstan motor to come up to speed at least a few seconds before punching to air. If the DJ/operator wowwed a cart on the air, Sir Richard would enter the control room and remove the fuses from all the cart decks except one, forcing the operator to segue from one cart to the next using one machine.
Definitely a few other "legendary" stories about the early history of that fine radio institution.
George K
As CE of another station across town a few years I visited friends there who would ask me about basic things like hum and buzz on the air. As a favor I gave the console a bang with my fist to solve the problem, lol. The main program audio cable at the time would run from the console to the ceiling and was literally twisted together mid span, no solder or insulation. Years later Dick hired me on the spot & I spent the next few days putting out these same little "fires" before I felt the station was solid enough for me to go home.
Things like:
All the telephones would disappear each night after 5pm, while the one News phone had a punch card dialing system for outgoing calls to news related sources only.
There was a story about a DJ who drove across the country for an interview, got hired and immediately put on the air. After a few hours he asked the News person to run the console while he went out to the store for cigarettes, and never came back, lol.
Back in the days there was one person running separate programming for two stations AM & FM. The cart machines where the Spotmaster type where you had to pull back the lever for the capstan motor to come up to speed at least a few seconds before punching to air. If the DJ/operator wowwed a cart on the air, Sir Richard would enter the control room and remove the fuses from all the cart decks except one, forcing the operator to segue from one cart to the next using one machine.
Definitely a few other "legendary" stories about the early history of that fine radio institution.
George K
Tom McNally said:
Thanks for the clarification. I guess the way I remember it is the way we did the top of the hour...WTRT and WBUD, Trenton Fairless Hills is the Hot One, Kickx 101 and a half. It’s just after ___o’clock and I’m _____ Playing the hot ones on THE hot one, Kicks one-Oh-one, and-ah-halfffe.
When the call letter change came through, I instructed the top hour to go WKXW FM and AM Trenton is The Hot One, Kickx 101 and a half …….That was a lot of fun doing the ID that way, they way I remembered station ID’s of 60’s. (ie: WIBG AM and FM, first in Philadelphia) But, in short order, I was directed to change it to WKXW FM and WKXW Trenton, which I’ve always thought was a ridiculously mundane way of call letter simulcast station identification.
ontheair247 said:
Dick Hardin asked me to install a lever switch so only one cart machine could be
on the air at once time, you had to flip back and forth between machines.
The weather for WBJH was all on cart, you picked one for "today" another
for "tonight" and another for "tomorrow" and one for the temperature,
so it was a lot of work to play a forecast ! I think Phil Allen was the
voice ??
Speaking of hum ... the FM had AM in the background, and the FM just
had lots of hum ... since the 20,000 watt FM transmitter and 5,000 watt
AM transmitters were right in the FM studio. It was noisy and hot
in there.
Also ... the studio was built new in about 75 or 76, and they ran out of
money, so never installed either heat or air conditioning. One of the
kids that worked there pulled a fast one and called OSHA. I was there
when the inspector came in ... he looked around, mentioned that there
were some paint cans too close to the transmitter, a shaky ladder,
things like that. The kid asked about the heat and AC, and the inspector
said "they aren't required, people work outside don't they, if it
bothers you, find another job" and that was that.
Fortunatedly, upon my arrival in 1979, the station was just completing an entire multi studio rebuild with all new equipment, top to bottom, complete with HVAC. The 3 new studios, (FM, AM, and Production) were built separate from the transmitter room, and the new studios were entirely encaged in copper shielding, to remove any of those always nefarious RF leaks. The new AM was built with the idea that after the new ground system construction was completed, the AM would be separated off, but I could play with it until then. The old studio location was converted to the newsroom, as it was one big RF environment. Subsequently newscasts originated from the on air studios. Of course, with no computers at the time, the RF didn’t affect the typewriters, so the newsroom was adequate for news gathering and wire services.
WBUD STORIES
There were always a ton of great stories from the annals of Ewings WBUD and WBJH. At the time we began the NIS News format in '75,
Joe Piscopo and I were tag teaming local news on both stations. It was at that time the infamous "U" shaped building flooded from the "Flood
of '75". We needed rafts to get into the station that Monday morning. Everything was under 14 inches of water. Dick Hardin and Teresa
Rose insisted that the station continue to play, albeit at lower power. I never knew a teletype machine could still run while partially submerged.
Another true instance. The move from Ewingville Rd West to across the street was anything but smooth. The building constructed was a
modular building, with no interior partitions, and just three rooms cordoned off for the AM-FM studios, and the GM's office.
While still at the old building, Piscopo was spinning vinyl, and with that famous Joe broad smile, said, "wouldn't it be somthing if
the construction crew tried to raise the roof of the old building while we're on the air ?" Sure enough, it happened, and we laughed
at the mess it left in its wake. I recall the old 5kw AM and the 20kw FM were in the same room, and the most dangerous part was
that in order to enter the AM's phasor array, there was a door. If you opened the door too far, the knob would rub against
an external modulation transformer's bolted connectors. This thing was huge. During the Sunday night of the heavy flood, my newsman called to say water
had been seeping into the transmitter cabinet, when suddenly sparks went off and Prince Wooten, an airjock came running out of the studio.
The guy turned white
There are far too many WBUD stories and many of the teasers Joe Piscopo used on Saturday Night Live had their origins on
Ewingville Road, including typewriters being locked in the mens room overnight, payphones in the newsroom, and when Dick Hardin
heard wow and flutter in a cart, he's come into the studio, grab the cart, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it !
Great classic stories.. These are the kind of stories one simply cannot create out of thin air. As I recall, it was Prince, Phil Allen,
Bill Singer and several others who joined me from WTTM on West State Street. After NIS failed, I worked with Judy Muller and John
Matheu over at WHWH1350. Judy went on to KABC-TV in LA. WHWH was a great local station. Did WHWH in the evenings, and NewsMorning Radio
at WJLK Asbury Park in the mornings. One of the great guys at 1350 was Howard David who went on to radio and TV sports.
Prior to leaving for WHTG Eatontown, Hardin offered to sell both stations. The price quoted in July '77 was $975K, but my wife Nancy and I were
expecting our first child, and that number seemed out of reach. Hardin was serious too!
Loved working with pros in those days.
There were always a ton of great stories from the annals of Ewings WBUD and WBJH. At the time we began the NIS News format in '75,
Joe Piscopo and I were tag teaming local news on both stations. It was at that time the infamous "U" shaped building flooded from the "Flood
of '75". We needed rafts to get into the station that Monday morning. Everything was under 14 inches of water. Dick Hardin and Teresa
Rose insisted that the station continue to play, albeit at lower power. I never knew a teletype machine could still run while partially submerged.
Another true instance. The move from Ewingville Rd West to across the street was anything but smooth. The building constructed was a
modular building, with no interior partitions, and just three rooms cordoned off for the AM-FM studios, and the GM's office.
While still at the old building, Piscopo was spinning vinyl, and with that famous Joe broad smile, said, "wouldn't it be somthing if
the construction crew tried to raise the roof of the old building while we're on the air ?" Sure enough, it happened, and we laughed
at the mess it left in its wake. I recall the old 5kw AM and the 20kw FM were in the same room, and the most dangerous part was
that in order to enter the AM's phasor array, there was a door. If you opened the door too far, the knob would rub against
an external modulation transformer's bolted connectors. This thing was huge. During the Sunday night of the heavy flood, my newsman called to say water
had been seeping into the transmitter cabinet, when suddenly sparks went off and Prince Wooten, an airjock came running out of the studio.
The guy turned white
There are far too many WBUD stories and many of the teasers Joe Piscopo used on Saturday Night Live had their origins on
Ewingville Road, including typewriters being locked in the mens room overnight, payphones in the newsroom, and when Dick Hardin
heard wow and flutter in a cart, he's come into the studio, grab the cart, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it !
Great classic stories.. These are the kind of stories one simply cannot create out of thin air. As I recall, it was Prince, Phil Allen,
Bill Singer and several others who joined me from WTTM on West State Street. After NIS failed, I worked with Judy Muller and John
Matheu over at WHWH1350. Judy went on to KABC-TV in LA. WHWH was a great local station. Did WHWH in the evenings, and NewsMorning Radio
at WJLK Asbury Park in the mornings. One of the great guys at 1350 was Howard David who went on to radio and TV sports.
Prior to leaving for WHTG Eatontown, Hardin offered to sell both stations. The price quoted in July '77 was $975K, but my wife Nancy and I were
expecting our first child, and that number seemed out of reach. Hardin was serious too!
Loved working with pros in those days.
Nick.. That was another notable station as well. 97.5 was WTOA, a classic music station that Herb Hobler owned.
The Ingham Avenue transmitter site with its self supporting tower is still there. It boasted a spring loaded orchestra
studio, and the silence was deafening! They were the days studios were built. Way before my era, but apparently in the
40's, when radio was live. many live performances emanated from there. Ingham Avenue, the last I could recall, was
in serious decline. In those days, we at WHWH, shared AM-FM responsibilities. The board operator would NEVER be
permitted to air a vocal music cut. In those days, beautiful music was the order of the day.
I cut my teeth in broadcast at WRLB 107.1 in Long Branch. Worked with two true professionals there. Larry Brennan
and John Wheeling. Larry was at 156 Broadway for many years, while John moved on as ND at Washington's WTOP.
These guys were outstanding teachers. Larry remembers "Start The Day In Stereo". Again, it was a composite of
instrumentals and chorals,. Mantovani. Gleason, Faith. Lots of years in the industry dude... and I still get a thrill out of it
each day! I still have an affinity for 107.1 and work with the great folks at Press.
The Ingham Avenue transmitter site with its self supporting tower is still there. It boasted a spring loaded orchestra
studio, and the silence was deafening! They were the days studios were built. Way before my era, but apparently in the
40's, when radio was live. many live performances emanated from there. Ingham Avenue, the last I could recall, was
in serious decline. In those days, we at WHWH, shared AM-FM responsibilities. The board operator would NEVER be
permitted to air a vocal music cut. In those days, beautiful music was the order of the day.
I cut my teeth in broadcast at WRLB 107.1 in Long Branch. Worked with two true professionals there. Larry Brennan
and John Wheeling. Larry was at 156 Broadway for many years, while John moved on as ND at Washington's WTOP.
These guys were outstanding teachers. Larry remembers "Start The Day In Stereo". Again, it was a composite of
instrumentals and chorals,. Mantovani. Gleason, Faith. Lots of years in the industry dude... and I still get a thrill out of it
each day! I still have an affinity for 107.1 and work with the great folks at Press.
Re: WBUD Sold; DEATH OF A PUBLIC SERVANT
1. WHWH was most recently "Radio Ted", a poor man's "Jack" format. That was either preceded or followed by a business-talk format, whose website I believe is still up somewhere...
2. Small clarification: Fox Sports was put on WBUD, not ESPN.
fennessy said:
1. WHWH was most recently "Radio Ted", a poor man's "Jack" format. That was either preceded or followed by a business-talk format, whose website I believe is still up somewhere...
2. Small clarification: Fox Sports was put on WBUD, not ESPN.
K
K-Tel
Guest
WHWH is still "Radio TED" at the moment. Biz Talk? Doubt it. Think about the where that signal is, what it covers and who lives in that area.
When is the BUD sale due to close? Would be nice to do a day long tribute to the once mighty 1260 throughout its history leading up to the change of ownership, at the least. I have a feeling the second the new owners take over, they will want to immediately pollute the airwaves with yet another God Squad signal.
Giveth all your money and ye, too, shalt be healed...
Giveth all your money and ye, too, shalt be healed...
WBUD goes full time EWTN Catholic broadcasting on Monday. The Trenton Thunder baseball team will be looking for a new home radio base.
K
KC2LDY
Guest
This is a perfect time for WHWH to get serious about being a "real" radio station again. It doesn't have to be expensive. Pick up the Thunder and the Titans. Maybe even some college sports. I wouldn't recommend going all-sports because, frankly, the format rarely works outside of the major markets. And even the majors can generally only support one such station per market. I wouldn't mind automated music if it were done correctly and professionally. And a live AM drive show would be great. Live AM and PM drive shows, - even if Monday through Friday only - would be fantastic. One has to remember that, even as Millenium allowed WBUD to deteriorate, it was still pulling good ratings in the Mercer metro. All they had to do was make an effort at selling spots.
Steve
KC2LDY
Steve
KC2LDY
Biro...are you smokin' somthing?
NO company in this entire state has made a SERIOUS effort to sell spots on ANY AM station for about 10-20 years. Yeah...maybe a dollar a holler spots on some shows...and baseball or football or basketball games..but...usually it's an after-thought...or while the salesperson is pushing their FM or FM cluster...they say...hey...I can give you some spots on our AM station W_ _ _.
I've SEEN it with my own eyes. This is NOT a slam on what you posted Steve...as we go WAY back with a great LOVE of AM radio stations. But I'm being real. It happened at WBUD, it happened with OBM-AM, it happened with CTC, etc..
Look...I'd be able to sell it...so could YOU...because we BELIEVE in it...and even with OLD demos, we'd be able to make relationships that sell time. I bet Rick Brancadora sells HIS station down in South Jersey. I bet some other standalones try. But the clustered stations? The salespeople would RATHER spend their time selling spots that can earn them a REAL commission...not the 20 bucks a pop spot that an AM gets. It's the reality. And when some of these companies PUT a person on the job JUST for AM...it's usually a 23 year old who doesn't know what AM IS!
Asterisk time*** I DO agree that if WHWH were SERIOUS about bringing back some of its heritage....NOW would be the time.. IN fact it should be THIS SUNDAY. Put BIG ads in the Trenton papers. DO IT RIGHT. Put some LIVE folks on who KNOW the area. Pay them a decent wage and let them PERFORM!!! I don't even care what the FORMAT is. Just do SOMETHING. Surprise us! Then SELL the crap out of it the way Herb Hobler and (yikes) even Johnny Morris did! Sell weather casts, news casts, sports casts, Time Checks, lost dog announcements...sell sponsorships for an hour even...but do SOMETHING. That station is just sitting there playing games. It's a joke now.
I can't believe that we are still sitting on an audience that is craving something they can't get, and NO one is DOING IT!!?!?!?!?
If the KIDS are all doing illegal downloads...then PLAY TO THE AUDIENCE who IS still listening. Don't just let these frequencies DIE. But if you do...don't expect to get any return for the original investment.
My two cents.
Get in touch Steve...love to talk with you.
[email protected]
BE BIG!
Jay the Jock
NO company in this entire state has made a SERIOUS effort to sell spots on ANY AM station for about 10-20 years. Yeah...maybe a dollar a holler spots on some shows...and baseball or football or basketball games..but...usually it's an after-thought...or while the salesperson is pushing their FM or FM cluster...they say...hey...I can give you some spots on our AM station W_ _ _.
I've SEEN it with my own eyes. This is NOT a slam on what you posted Steve...as we go WAY back with a great LOVE of AM radio stations. But I'm being real. It happened at WBUD, it happened with OBM-AM, it happened with CTC, etc..
Look...I'd be able to sell it...so could YOU...because we BELIEVE in it...and even with OLD demos, we'd be able to make relationships that sell time. I bet Rick Brancadora sells HIS station down in South Jersey. I bet some other standalones try. But the clustered stations? The salespeople would RATHER spend their time selling spots that can earn them a REAL commission...not the 20 bucks a pop spot that an AM gets. It's the reality. And when some of these companies PUT a person on the job JUST for AM...it's usually a 23 year old who doesn't know what AM IS!
Asterisk time*** I DO agree that if WHWH were SERIOUS about bringing back some of its heritage....NOW would be the time.. IN fact it should be THIS SUNDAY. Put BIG ads in the Trenton papers. DO IT RIGHT. Put some LIVE folks on who KNOW the area. Pay them a decent wage and let them PERFORM!!! I don't even care what the FORMAT is. Just do SOMETHING. Surprise us! Then SELL the crap out of it the way Herb Hobler and (yikes) even Johnny Morris did! Sell weather casts, news casts, sports casts, Time Checks, lost dog announcements...sell sponsorships for an hour even...but do SOMETHING. That station is just sitting there playing games. It's a joke now.
I can't believe that we are still sitting on an audience that is craving something they can't get, and NO one is DOING IT!!?!?!?!?
If the KIDS are all doing illegal downloads...then PLAY TO THE AUDIENCE who IS still listening. Don't just let these frequencies DIE. But if you do...don't expect to get any return for the original investment.
My two cents.
Get in touch Steve...love to talk with you.
[email protected]
BE BIG!
Jay the Jock
bigjay said:
Huh? Are you talking about the Titans & Thunder?
There is NOTHING people crave that they can't get from SOMEplace. Let me tell you!
These AM stations didn't just fall apart yesterday. It's been a long slow decline that really began in the early 80s.
The whole thing reminds me of urban renewal. You could bulldoze all of downtown Perth Amboy, and make it look like Short Hills, and I'd never know, because I simply don't go near the place. They tell me the waterfront is nice. That's great. Send me pictures. I'm not traveling down Smith Street any more. And that's how most people feel about AM radio.
So you can't just put worthwhile programming there, promote it, and expect people to return. It ends up being like Asbury Park. Know what I mean?
The war over AM radio was fought a generation ago, and it's over. Unless they fix what was wrong with AM in 1978, it won't matter. They've tried many times, and every time, you get all these sticks in the mud who want it to be like it was. Just like those folks who want to ride the Merry Go Round in Asbury Park. The past is over. Either you move forward or you die. That's the situation with AM. Either it finds something that will move it in a new direction, or it will continue the downward spiral.
So right now, we have religious radio. Kind of like those wig shops along French Street in New Brunswick. The bottom feeders. That's where we are. You can't throw a Macy's in the middle of a bunch of wig shops and expect it to do well.
Let's run to the government. That's a great idea. They'll appoint a commission, and in 30 years, AM radio will look like Newark! Mission accomplished.
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